A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard

 I read this one for my PopSugar Reading Challenge.  This book satisfied the "Book with summer" in the title task.   Look at that cover though?   This book was a  great way to start the summer - a perfect summer read.

It also starts with a perfect and titillating sentence - "Nothing ever changes at Wauregan".   Wauregan is the fictional summer island/ resort where the story takes place.  Set in 1948, this is the story of Helen and her son, Jack.  Some years before, Helen's husband, Arthur,  joins the OSS and mysteriously disappears.  His best friend, Frank, makes the trip back but Arthur is declared missing in action.

As Helen watches her son grow and she goes year after year without word of her husband, she wonders if it is time to move on with her own life.  Frank is waiting in the wings, but, then another veteran appears on the island.  Peter has his own issues recovering from his duty in the Pacific, and he has a very special friend, his war dog, Max.   While Max and Peter befriend Helen's son, Jack,  Helen fights her own attraction for Peter.

Will Helen and Jack finally learn the truth and be able to move on?  Is it really true that nothing ever changes at Wauregan?   If you enjoy a great beach read,  give this one a try.   5 stars.